Almost everyone knew he had a talent for cooking. Anything Alexander Rhett Chamberlain made was always packed with taste and flavor.

“He always joked about cooking and eating well,” said Reid Chamberlain, one of Rhett’s older brothers. “He was a really good cook.”

The 24-year-old’s interest went beyond culinary talents. Rhett was athletic. He played basketball for Shelby High School. He loved music and had a knack for technology. His childhood friend and later girlfriend, Sara Cheaney, said Rhett was her go-to person on anything technical.

Everything people knew Rhett for doing and enjoying are now memories of the Shelby native.

Rhett, son of Shelby Women's Care OB/GYN Dr. Steve and Kathe Chamberlain, died Easter Sunday after a hiking fall in the North Carolina mountains.

The accident

Five close friends joined Rhett, a 2007 Shelby High grad, for a camping trip during the weekend. They hiked in Avery County’s Wilson Creek Gorge on Saturday afternoon.

Avery County Sheriff’s Office Chief Detective Troy Cook said Rhett tried to snap a picture of the view in the Hunt Fish Falls area. Rhett fumbled with his camera. He lost his balance.

He fell about 80 feet, according to the Avery County Sheriff’s Office.

“He landed in a shallow pool of water,” Cook said. “They (Rhett's friends and nearby hikers) hiked approximately one mile to obtain cell service to call 911."

Emergency personnel airlifted Rhett to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee. His parents, elder brothers and their families were by his side.

Rhett sustained traumatic brain injury from the fall, according to authorities. He never regained consciousness.

It was 5:46 a.m. Sunday when he passed away.

Someone who touched lives

In a Facebook message to The Star, Cheaney described the Chamberlain family as close knit. She said Rhett always looked forward to spending time with his parents and older brothers.

Friends of Rhett and the family mourned the sudden passing of the NC State University graduate. Friends tweeted their condolences. Others noted Rhett kind demeanor, similar to his father’s, on Facebook.

Concern for Rhett hasn’t gone unnoticed by the family.

“We always knew that a lot of people were touched by Rhett, but we didn’t’ know how many,” Reid said. “That speaks a lot to his personality and the kind of person he was.”

Reid thought about the group of friends that rushed to his brother’s aid.

“We’re appreciative of the fact that he was there with close friends. They were able to help him the best way they could,” Reid said.

Rhett worked in SABIC’s finance department in Huntersville. He was working on obtaining a master’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

He planned to study in Copenhagen, Denmark through UNC-Charlotte. Cheaney wrote to The Star that she and Rhett already planned what trips they would take upon his arrival to Europe.